Éveline Geneviève Anna Garnier (6 May 1904 - 22 October 1989) was a significant figure in the

Noyautage des administrations publiques Noyautage des administrations publiques, also known by the abbreviation NAP, was an arm of the French Resistance, started by André Plaisantin of the Combat movement, with the aim of infiltrating the Vichy Government. It was started in 1942 on a su ...

, which aimed at infiltrating the French collaborationalist

Vichy Government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She used her job as a

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

as cover for her work in the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

alongside her partner

Andrée Jacob Andrée Jacob (22 July 1906 - 6 February 2002) was a member of the French Resistance during the World War II, Second World War. Initially working in publishing, she played an active part in the French Resistance during the Second World War. Post ...

Henri Frenay Henri Frenay Sandoval (11 November 1905 – 8 August 1988) was a French military officer and French Resistance member, who served as minister of prisoners, refugees and deportees in Charles de Gaulle's Provisional Government of the French Republic ...

and

Claude Bourdet Claude Bourdet (28 October 1909 – 20 March 1996) was a writer, journalist, polemist, and militant French politician. Personal life Bourdet was a son of the dramatic author Édouard Bourdet and the poet Catherine Pozzi, was born and died in ...

Early life and family

Éveline Geneviève Anna Garnier was born on 6 May 1904 in the

16th arrondissement of Paris The 16th arrondissement of Paris (; ) is the westernmost of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. Located on the city's Right Bank, it is adjacent to the 17th and 8th arrondissements to the northeast, as well as to the ...

Archives de Paris An archive is an accumulation of Historical document, historical records or Historical source, materials, in any medium, or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated ove ...

, État civil de Paris en ligne : Paris 16^e, acte de naissance, . Her mother was Jeanne Julie Gabrielle (née Maritain) (1875-1955) and her father was Charles Marie Georges Garnier (1869-1956), professor of English literature and language at the

Lycée Janson-de-Sailly Lycée Janson-de-Sailly is a ''lycée'' located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. The ''lycéens'' of Janson are called ''les jansoniens'' and they usually refer to their high school as Janson, or JdS. It is the biggest academic inst ...

, Inspector General of Public Education and a writer. Her maternal grandmother, Geneviève Maritain (née Favre) (1855-1943), was a feminist and pacifist, the daughter of philosopher and educator Julie Favre and statesman and lawyer

Jules Favre Jules Claude Gabriel Favre (21 March 1809 – 20 January 1880) was a French statesman and lawyer. After the establishment of the Third Republic in September 1870, he became one of the leaders of the Moderate Republicans in the National Assemb ...

. Her maternal uncle was the philosopher

Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aqui ...

, who converted from Protestantism to Catholicism in 1906 and later designated her as his principal legatee. Her parents, both Protestants, divorced shortly before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Éveline Garnier was the partner of another member of the French Resistance,

, whom she met in the Christian circles around her uncle

Resistance work in the Second World War

Garnier was active in the

during the

. Her codename was Anne. She worked in close collaboration with

within the Combat movement, working across intelligence, recruitment, organisation, and direct action. She also worked with Father Foussard, within the

Comet Line The Comet Line (; 1941–1944) was a Resistance organization in occupied Belgium and France in the Second World War. The Comet Line helped Allied soldiers and airmen shot down over occupied Belgium evade capture by Germans and return to Great ...

, which rescued and repatriated Allied airmen that were shot down on French soil. Garnier became deputy secretary general of the

(NAP) network in September 1943, working with her partner

, (code name Danielle). From March 1944 Garnier was head of the NAP network. She also helped to save Jews by making false papers for them. After the

Liberation of France The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany in ...

, she and Andrée Jacob joined the ministère des Anciens combattants de la Résistance et des Déportés (Ministry of Veterans of the Resistance and Deportees).

Personal life

Garnier and Andrée Jacob were in a relationship for over fifty years. Éveline Garnier died on 22 October 1989 as a result of a cardiovascular disease at the Sainte-Périne hospital in the

Commendations

* Médaille de la Résistance française (1945) *

Croix de guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

1939-1945 avec palme (1946) * Chevalière de la Légion d'honneur (1946)

Commemoration

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris () was a battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germany since the signing of the Armisti ...

, the Allee Éveline-Garnier and the Allee Andrée-Jacob were inaugurated in the

2nd arrondissement of Paris The 2nd arrondissement of Paris (''IIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''deuxième'' (second/the second). It is governed locall ...

on 29 August 2019.

Publications

* Éveline Garnier,
Contraste de New York ou ce que M. Herriot n'aura pas vu
�, ''Esprit: revue internationale'', Paris, 1933 * Éveline Garnier, «Souvenirs sur mon oncle», ''Cahiers Jacques Maritain'', Paris, vol. 2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garnier, Eveline 1904 births 1989 deaths Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) French librarians Recipients of the Resistance Medal French lesbians Knights of the Legion of Honour 20th-century French LGBTQ people